There are certainly collapsible cups which, although convenient in concept, have not been widely adopted commercially. This is primarily due to the fact that, oftentimes, collapsible cups, when folded, are incapable of remaining in their collapsed or foldable state thus creating unwanted volume during transport. Other such products, when unfolded, tend to collapse or tip causing spillage or instability. In either case, such foldable products tend to be much less desirable than their permanent or nonfoldable counterparts.
For a collapsible beverage cup to be a commercial success, it must be capable of converting from a two dimensional or flat configuration to a three dimensional beverage containing configuration and back again conveniently. It also must be fully stable and capable of containing a beverage and dispensing it in a manner substantially equivalent to its noncollapsible counterpart. Finally, as a preferred embodiment, the cup must be closable to prevent foreign debris from intruding into its interior when not in use as well as preventing residual moisture that may remain within the liner from leaking into a user's pocket or purse while enabling the cup to reside upon a flat surface during beverage containment.
These and further objects will be readily apparent when considering the following disclosure and appended claims.